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Innsbruck, ich muß dich lassen
I'll bet many of you know today's chorale. It is the tune-of-many-names, but first saw the light of day as 'Innsbruck, ich muß dich lassen in 1485, in one of the many publications of Heinrich Isaac. It is suspected that the tune predated this publication, and was possibly of folk origin, though this claim has never been substantiated. (It's hard to prove this kind of thing, because folk materials were usually passed along in the oral tradition.) The song became highly popular, the 15th-century equivalent of a #1 top-forty hit, both in its tune-on-top version (which many of us know) and in the alternate version with the tune in canon in the middle voices.

In case you've forgotten the piece (or never knew it), here's a link to a recording which begins with the tune in the soprano, followed by an instrumental version of same, followed then by the canonic tenors, a keyboard improv,
and finally a repeat of the chorale.


As often has happened over the years in many periods and traditions, Isaac's beloved secular song was quickly provided with a set of sacred lyrics to replace the plaintive poem of the original. The first of these was 'O Welt, ich muß dich lassen', and this was followed over the years by 'In allen meinen Taten', 'Nun ruhen alle Wälder', and 'O Welt, sieh hier dein Leben'. The tune in the meantime underwent a few transformations, but remained recognizably the same.

Bach must have loved this song, for he used it many times, not only for final chorales but also at crucial moments in both surviving passions, and 'In allen meinen Taten' provided the entire libretto for Cantata 97, including the central movements, which have hints of the melody as well.

In addition, in the so-called independent chorales--many of these probably drawn from lost cantatas and passions--
we find three settings of the tune.

Here is a sort of catalog of Bach's use of the tune through a big swath of his storied career. Links are to very good audio and video recordings on YouTube. Scores for all the pieces are attached herewith. Could be a fun project to simply sing through (or even just to listen to) all these in one swell foop, to get a broad idea of Bach's incredible inventiveness
(not to say sensitivity) in writing four-part chorale settings:

Bach Cantata 13--Final chorale

Bach Cantata 44--Final chorale

BWV 244: Saint Matthew Passion 10: Ich bin's, ich sollte bußen

BWV 244: Saint Matthew Passion 37: Wer hat dich so geschlagen

BWV 245: Saint John Passion 11: Wer hat dich so geschlagen

BWV 393: Independent chorale

BWV 394: Independent chorale

BWV 395: Independent chorale

After that, check out the amazing opening movement of Cantata 97, which opens with an orchestral French overture, followed by a joyous tutti, with the tune in long-notes in the soprano; and the final chorale, in which Bach provided an unusual set of independent parts for the strings, creating a rich 'aura' around the tune:

BWV 097: In allen meinen Taten: First movement

BWV 097: In allen meinen Taten: Final movement

And finally, don't miss the tenor aria with one of the most beautiful violin solos you're ever likely to hear:

BWV 097: In allen meinen Taten: Tenor aria with violin obligato

As you might guess, this cantata is definitely in our future--

Whew! And this message doesn't even touch on the many, many settings of this tune by other composers. These are deep waters in which we're swimming. Nice to navigate them with you, as always!
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